Scottsdale’s Historic Preservation Commission has approved exterior changes to Old Town’s Pink Pony building, a move that will accommodate a new family restaurant expected to open early next year.

With a 4-1 vote, the commission on Oct. 10 approved modifications for a pedestrian-friendly, recessed patio and exterior color change. Commission member Taraneh Moosavi cast the no vote. Commissioners Ann Brandes and Cody Wilson were absent.

The case had been controversial from the start, pitting commerce against historical preservation. The building is included on the city’s historic register, which means any exterior changes must be approved by the commission.

The Pink Pony steak house had reopened in February 2011 after ending a 60-year run in August 2009. The restaurant, at 3831 N. Scottsdale Road, had long been known as a baseball spring-training hangout. It closed again this spring.

“It’s a beautiful building and it would be a great restaurant, but it has nothing left of the historic value after the design,” Moosavi said. “As a historic commissioner, I disagree with it because it’s no longer a historic monument.”

Commission Chairman Timothy Burns said those involved in the project did a good job of addressing the design guidelines. The building still will belong on the historic register, he said.

“I felt that it would be very good for the community to see a vibrant restaurant there and it’s not the building it was in 1947, and it needs to have a rebirth,” he said. “But they’re embracing the past and also recognizing the future.”

Co-owners Danny Little and Tim Smith have said the building isn’t commercially viable and that changes are needed to attract and retain a successful tenant. They leased the building to the Shugrue family, which owns and operates Javelina Cantina-Sedona and five other restaurants in Lake Havasu City.

The tenant plans to keep the Pink Pony name and prominently feature the baseball memorabilia from the original restaurant.

Restaurateur Mark Shugrue said he’s anxious to get into the building and start renovations as soon as possible.

“We’re going to try to work double-time to get this thing open by the middle of January, first of February,” he said. “You’re going to start seeing a lot of things going on here in the next week or two.” Shugrue went on to describe the changes: “We’re going to have a big, beautiful bar ... but mainly it’s a restaurant with wood-fired pizza oven, wood grill and we’re developing the menu as we speak. It will be somewhat similar to Barley Bros., which is our brewery.”

City planners previously recommended the commission deny the request, finding that the application was “not consistent” with Pink Pony historical-preservation-plan guidelines.

However, they reversed their recommendation because the updated request includes installing a movable wall with a facade that maintains the appearance of the Pink Pony as approved by the commission in 2011. The recessed patio would be behind the movable wall, which could be moved to open the patio space to the sidewalk.

David Ortega, coordinating architect on the project, said the proposed changes are appropriate to the building’s mid-20th-century modern architecture. Jeffrey Rausch, an architect also involved in the project, said when the movable wall is in place, the facade will look “pretty much what it looks like now, only better.”

Members of the Old Town Merchants Association remained staunchly opposed to the proposed changes. JoAnn Handley, manager of the Scottsdale Historical Museum, said the proposed changes “take away the historic significance” of the building and will make it no longer eligible to be on the historic register. She also serves on the association’s Historical Preservation Committee.

Exterior signage will be considered by the commission in a separate application, said Dan Symer, senior city planner.

“If they want to make any other changes than what was just approved, they have to come out with another application,” he said.

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